# Harry Potter Question re: the Dursleys **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 19, 2013, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harry-potter-question-re-the-dursleys/676736 "2013-12-19T16:50:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![TBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@TBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TBG)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2013, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harry-potter-question-re-the-dursleys/676736/21 "2013-12-20T20:46:09Z")
I assumed they were getting some sort of money (either from the govt or the Potters’ estate) for keeping Harry around. They hated him, but liked the extra cash, so just did the bare minimum to keep CPS (or the british equivalent) off their backs. ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2013, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harry-potter-question-re-the-dursleys/676736/22 "2013-12-20T21:03:49Z")
Well no, they were basically being bullied into it by Dumbledore and the Ministry because Harry was protected by family magic as long as he was in their house. ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2013, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harry-potter-question-re-the-dursleys/676736/23 "2013-12-20T21:08:11Z")
Curious that the Evanses (Harry’s grandparents) are not even hinted at. Are we to assume that _he-who-must-not-be-named_ finished them off before turning to James and Lily? Could that be one reason for Petunia’s attitude? Like, once Harry goes to Hogwarts and inevitably becomes well known, the Dursleys would certainly become potential targets. ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2013, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harry-potter-question-re-the-dursleys/676736/24 "2013-12-20T21:11:25Z")
Lots of conveniently dead family in the Potterverse. ---
**Author:** ![sciurophobic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cab0a1/32.png) [@sciurophobic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sciurophobic)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2013, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harry-potter-question-re-the-dursleys/676736/25 "2013-12-20T22:30:56Z")
My question isn’t why are the Dursleys so horrible to Harry. It’s clearly a combination of fear, jealousy, and general dislike of anything magical or “not normal”. It’s why they’re not happy to get rid of him when given the opportunity. He’s like the original white elephant; they’re obligated to care for him and they can’t pass him off to someone else. Maybe it is just vindictiveness, or maybe it’s just Rowling just wanted them to be as horrible to Harry as possible, even if it makes no sense. ---
**Author:** ![sciurophobic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cab0a1/32.png) [@sciurophobic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sciurophobic)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2013, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harry-potter-question-re-the-dursleys/676736/26 "2013-12-20T22:32:21Z")
> [@TBG](#): > > I assumed they were getting some sort of money (either from the govt or the Potters’ estate) for keeping Harry around. They hated him, but liked the extra cash, so just did the bare minimum to keep CPS (or the british equivalent) off their backs. I like that answer. ---
**Author:** ![Equipoise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/equipoise/32/151_2.png) [@Equipoise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Equipoise)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2013, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harry-potter-question-re-the-dursleys/676736/27 "2013-12-20T23:00:45Z")
I just finished re-reading the series and I’d like to ask a different question. Why couldn’t Harry see the Thestrals in The Prisoner of Azkaban? It’s said that only those who’ve seen death can see them, which included Neville and Luna, but Harry only saw horseless carriages until after he saw Cedric die. Wasn’t he right there when Voldemort killed his mother? He might not have been old enough to know what it was he was witnessing, but he did see death. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2013, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harry-potter-question-re-the-dursleys/676736/28 "2013-12-20T23:12:51Z")
Maybe he didn’t actually see her die or he was too young to remember. ---
**Author:** ![Equipoise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/equipoise/32/151_2.png) [@Equipoise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Equipoise)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2013, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harry-potter-question-re-the-dursleys/676736/29 "2013-12-20T23:22:49Z")
He had to have seen her die. She was right in front of him and crumpled to the floor after V did his Avada Kadavra thing. As far as him being too young, yeah, maybe you have to KNOW that you’ve seen death. Who did Hagrid see die, and how old was he? I don’t remember it saying in the books. ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2013, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harry-potter-question-re-the-dursleys/676736/30 "2013-12-20T23:37:24Z")
She was between him and Voldemort, so he would not have seen the spell cast, and then she basically dropped out of sight as she died, so he could not really witness it happen. Then, there was the accidental horcrux thing, most likely the defective stew of cross-purposes magic and the bit of Voldemort trapped in Harry suppressed his ability to see the thestrals until he saw Cedric killed. ---
**Author:** ![ricksummon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ricksummon/32/3333_2.png) [@ricksummon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ricksummon)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2013, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harry-potter-question-re-the-dursleys/676736/31 "2013-12-20T23:38:31Z")
> [@Equipoise](#): > > As far as him being too young, yeah, maybe you have to KNOW that you’ve seen death. That was J. K. Rowling’s answer to that question, I believe. When asked why Harry couldn’t see Thestrals at the **end** of _Goblet of Fire,_ she said the reality of Cedric’s death hadn’t “sunk in” yet. > [@](#): > > Who did Hagrid see die, and how old was he? I don’t remember it saying in the books. It wasn’t specified in the books. J. K. basically said that Hagrid’s been around for a while and has seen a lot of things. I’d guess he saw someone die during Voldemort’s first reign of terror. ---
**Author:** ![Gangster\_Octopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a8b319/32.png) [@Gangster\_Octopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gangster_Octopus)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2013, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harry-potter-question-re-the-dursleys/676736/32 "2013-12-20T23:49:09Z")
I always thought that Petunia saw what had happened to her sister and was trying to keep Harry away from that. I think they thought it was dangerous. ---
**Author:** ![Equipoise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/equipoise/32/151_2.png) [@Equipoise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Equipoise)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2013, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harry-potter-question-re-the-dursleys/676736/33 "2013-12-20T23:54:21Z")
Ok, sorry, never mind. Thanks For You and ricksummon. The Harry Potter Wiki, which I should have searched before opening my big off-topic mouth, agrees that you have to be aware of death as a concept. It also points out that Harry had his eyes closed when V killed Cedric, so he didn’t actually SEE him die. It also points out that Harry SAW Quirrel die in the first book, so he still should have been able to see the Threstals at the end of the first book. Ah well, a few bobbles here and there are to be expected. I still love the books and movies. Re the Dursleys, I would love to read “deleted scenes” from the books of Dudley plying the magical people he and his family stay with with questions about Harry. They lived together all their lives but Dudley knew nothing about Harry. He seemed to come around there at the end and information about Harry from wizards and witches who could and would have talked Dudley’s ear off about Harry would have been enlightening. And it would have annoyed the hell out of Petunia and Vernon. I doubt Petunia would care if anything was dangerous for Harry. ---
**Author:** ![Filbert](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/filbert/32/3433_2.png) [@Filbert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Filbert)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2013, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harry-potter-question-re-the-dursleys/676736/34 "2013-12-21T00:12:03Z")
> [@Equipoise](#): > > Who did Hagrid see die, and how old was he? I don’t remember it saying in the books. I assumed his father, who died when he was at school; but of course he may not have actually seen the death, so it could be someone later. ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2013, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harry-potter-question-re-the-dursleys/676736/35 "2013-12-21T00:14:11Z")
As far as Quirrel is concerned, seeing a person evanesce into ashes may be slightly different from seeing them die. More importantly, though, the implication is that you saw someone you liked or cared about die: Quirrel had become a foe at that point, so seeing him die was a blessed relief to Harry that would not have encumbered him with any kind of genuine grief. As for Hagrid, surely he witnessed the death of more than one of his beloved magical creatures, I would think that would suffice. ---
**Author:** ![Sr\_Siete](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6de8d8/32.png) [@Sr\_Siete](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sr_Siete)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2013, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harry-potter-question-re-the-dursleys/676736/36 "2013-12-21T00:23:02Z")
It’s my pet theory that the Durselys were the nicest people in the movies: -They provided Harry with a home, including an awesome cupboard under the stairs. -They tried to avoid sending him to an unregulated, unsafe school where he literally run into deadly risks as part of his standard education, a danger increased by the actual conspiracy to kill him that occurred in that world. -They kept accepting him in the summer, even after his powers routinely caused their own family members to be threatened by snakes or inflated like balloons. I mean, that’s one very powerful kid with an explosive temper. -They tried to keep him in check in their own way through the good, old fashioned discipline of hard work. If anything, you could say that their actual crime was overindulging and spoiling their actual son, not their treatment of Harry. ---
**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2013, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harry-potter-question-re-the-dursleys/676736/37 "2013-12-21T01:44:27Z")
> [@Sr\_Siete](#): > > -They kept accepting him in the summer, even after his powers routinely caused their own family members to be threatened by snakes or inflated like balloons. I mean, that’s one very powerful kid with an explosive temper. “Routinely” is a bit unfair - you’ve mentioned the only two such incidents in Harry’s entire life while living with the Dursley, and one of them didn’t involve temper at all (Harry felt sorry for the snake, not angry about it). But I suspect your tongue was in cheek… ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2013, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harry-potter-question-re-the-dursleys/676736/38 "2013-12-21T02:25:07Z")
Well, Harry’s friends did cause damage to the house when they yanked the bars of the window. And, of course, Dudley did get pretty fucked over by that dementor, which would not have happened sans Harry. So, it was a sort of ongoing thing. ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2013, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harry-potter-question-re-the-dursleys/676736/39 "2013-12-21T02:52:57Z")
A gazillion owls bombing their house with letters. I suspect a few neighbors may have noticed, and read the letters. Dudley in the snake cage. Dudley gaining a pig’s tail. That was just in a few months before Harry went to Hogswarts. Pulling the bars off the window. Dumping a cake on a major client. Blowing up his aunt. Dudley and the Dementor. ---
**Author:** ![PSXer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/48db29/32.png) [@PSXer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PSXer)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2013, 3:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harry-potter-question-re-the-dursleys/676736/40 "2013-12-21T03:51:49Z")
Harry only saw Quirrell turn into ashes in the movie in the book he passed out before Quirrell died [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harry-potter-question-re-the-dursleys/676736.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harry-potter-question-re-the-dursleys/676736.md?page=3)